The first thing I do every morning when I awake is say “Good morning, Jesus”. I put on my glasses and head to my breakfast room where I have a daily conversation with Our Lord, thanking Him for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me all my life. I had the best parents anyone could hope for. They taught me about love, family values, acceptance of others, encouragement, support, and the importance of a good education. As a child, I didn’t realize our Lord was working through my parents to teach me what I needed to learn as I grew up.
I never heard my parents or any other adult in my immediate family raise their voice or argue. Many of my relatives lived within a two-block radius and we saw each other all the time. We all gathered at Grandpa’s house on Sunday night at 6:00pm for family dinner and the Ed Sullivan show. Growing up as a child, I thought this was how every family functioned. When I grew up and matured and was out on my own, I came to realize this wasn’t the case. I learned what dysfunctional meant. Some kids in high school and college had only one parent. Divorce was another term I learned, never experiencing it in my family.
It was during these times I realized God’s love for me and my family. Catechism classes and what I learned from Sunday Mass sermons now had inspiring messages I could relate to and apply to my life. As an adult, I’ve prayed to Jesus for his advice when I was up against challenges I’ve faced at my various jobs and my anticipated move to Arizona in 1976.
I soon learned that He answers my prayers on His time, not mine. I had to learn patience more than once. Somehow, things always worked out and my faith and trust in the Lord grew stronger over the years. It’s even more evident now that I’m retired and look back over my 54 years of adulthood. Career changes and relocation to Arizona were very daunting, but I see now, Jesus never let go of my hand. He taught me patience and trust in Him alone. He is the only one I can trust and believe in.
I credit Jesus for making me the person I am today. I continue my morning conversation by turning every day over to Him, asking Him to lead me through each day, one step at a time. I then read my Bible and six other devotional books, looking for Spiritual Guidance to get me through each day. I ask Our Lord to keep me safe and healthy when I venture out of the house, and to embrace me with His love, never letting go of my right hand, as there is nothing I can do without His guidance.
Each prayer session is ended with prayers for the needs of everyone on our PWC Prayer Chain, asking Jesus to console, heal, and to hear the prayers from our church family.
I feel Jesus working in my life every day. His unconditional love is all I need to get me patiently through each day. Turning my problems over to our Lord, knowing He will deal with each issue in His time, not mine, teaches me patience and trust in the Lord.